Jump to content

New Helmet Rule & Changes to Kickoffs Adopted


Recommended Posts

For those who missed the Lorax Kickoff Fix Proposal ... it makes a lot of sense:

- Why are kickoffs so much more dangerous than punts? Lorax says it's because defenses line up fairly normally on punts. On kickoffs, they line up 20+ yards deep, plus the kicking team gets a running start. The upshot: you have kicking team guys coming at you with tremendous force (remember: Force = Mass x Velocity; these are big guys running really fast with head starts, colliding with return team members well downfield)

- So why not make kickoffs more like punts? This doesn't mean eliminating kickoffs; it means reducing that F=MV thing by making teams line up in a more traditional alignment.

 

I still think the kickoff is on it's way out, but as a partial fix, I like the Lorax Plan a lot ...

 

EDIT: By the way, Lorax is a good interview. He pretty much gave Josh Allen a pass on the whole racist tweet thing, stating what many of us have said: thank God there was no social media when I was 16. The whole thing was on what was once called Mike & Mike.

Edited by The Frankish Reich
  • Like (+1) 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

No More Running Starts? Kickoffs Set for Makeover

NEW YORK -- The kickoff isn't going away for the 2018 NFL season, but it will look different.

 

An unprecedented collaboration of owners, head coaches, position coaches, medical people and an active player and a union official took a significant step toward preserving one of the game's more recognizable yet dangerous plays Wednesday morning at league headquarters by finding common ground on a proposed rules change to make the play safer.

 

The final draft will be completed by the end of the week and presented to clubs for review on Monday. The owners will then vote on it later this month at their Spring League Meeting in Atlanta.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Proposal's goal: Make kickoffs more like punts

The proposed changes will be written into a formal document by next week and presented to owners for approval during their May 21-23 meetings in Atlanta. They include:
 
* Coverage teams would lose the 5-yard head start they previously had;
* Five players would need to be aligned on each side of the kicker;
* All wedge blocks, including two-man double teams, would be eliminated;
* Eight of the 11 return team members would be lined up within 15 yards of the restraining line, and blocking would be prohibited within those 15 yards;
* There would be no pre-kick motion;
* Onside kick rules would remain largely unchanged.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

http://www.wgr550.com/media/audio-channel/05-03-steve-tasker-howard-and-jeremymp3

 

TASKER SEES KICKOFF CHANGES GETTING APPROVED FOR 2018

kick-return-story.jpg


Bills Wall of Famer Steve Tasker left the meetings in New York at the NFL offices encouraged that the kickoff isn't going away, but rather tweaked to reduce injuries on the play.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Are kickoffs really more prone to injury than other plays? I can’t say that I’ve noticed that. If they get rid of kickoffs that’ll be one less thing for second string players to do, and will move the NFL one step closer to becoming the virtually unwatchable NBA on turf!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 minute ago, SoCal Deek said:

Are kickoffs really more prone to injury than other plays? I can’t say that I’ve noticed that. If they get rid of kickoffs that’ll be one less thing for second string players to do, and will move the NFL one step closer to becoming the virtually unwatchable NBA on turf!

 

By far.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

 

 

Owners approve changes to kickoff play for 2018

NFL owners voted Tuesday to adopt a revamped kickoff play for the 2018 season.
 
The changes will make kickoffs more like punts and limit full-speed collisions. The adjustments were made in conjunction with special teams coaches and members of the league's Competition Committee during a player safety summit at the league's headquarters in New York earlier this month. On Tuesday, owners also expanded reviewable plays to include disqualification of players.
 
Some key takeaways:
1. Players on the kicking team cannot line up more than one yard from the point of the kickoff. The previous rule allowed players to line up five yards from the restraining line (typically 35-yard line), allowing them to have more of a running start before the kick.
 
2. The wedge block has been eliminated. Only players who line up in the setup zone (between their own 40 and opponents' 45-yard line) can put together double-team blocks.
 
3. Until the ball is touched or hits the ground, no player on the receiving team may cross the restraining line (typically its 45) or initiate a block. This forces blockers on the receiving team to run back and block, which greatly decreases the chance of an "attack" block that can result in a high-speed collision.
 
4. When the ball hits the end zone, it's immediately ruled a touchback. There is no need for a player to down the ball in the end zone to initiate a touchback.
Link to comment
Share on other sites

×
×
  • Create New...